Sister, tha knows while we was on the planks
Aside o' th' grave, while th' coffin wor lyin' yet
On th' yaller clay, an' th' white flowers top of it
Tryin' to keep off 'n him a bit o' th' wet,
An' parson makin' haste, an' a' the black
Huddlin' close together a cause o' th' rain,
Did t' 'appen ter notice a bit of a lass away back
By a head-stun, sobbin' an' sobbin' again?
--How should I be lookin' round
An' me standin' on the plank
Beside the open ground,
Where our Ted 'ud soon be sank?
Yi, an' 'im that young,
Snapped sudden out of all
His wickedness, among
Pals worse n'r ony name as you could call.
Let be that; there's some o' th' bad as we
Like better nor all your good, an' 'e was one.
--An' cos I liked him best, yi, bett'r nor thee,
I canna bide to think where he is gone.
Ah know tha liked 'im bett'r nor me. But let
Me tell thee about this lass. When you had gone
Ah stopped behind on t' pad i' th' drippin wet
An' watched what 'er 'ad on.
Tha should ha' seed her slive up when we'd gone,
Tha should ha' seed her kneel an' look in
At th' sloppy wet grave--an' 'er little neck shone
That white, an' 'er shook that much, I'd like to begin
Scraïghtin' my-sen as well. 'En undid her black
Jacket at th' bosom, an' took from out of it
Over a double 'andful of violets, all in a pack
Ravelled blue and white--warm, for a bit
O' th' smell come waftin' to me. 'Er put 'er face
Right intil 'em and scraïghted out again,
Then after a bit 'er dropped 'em down that place,
An' I come away, because o' the teemin' rain.